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Museum of Me
Studio I - Grades 10 &11

Sample Benchmark, 2012 Sample Product

Irene Haji-Georgi October 4, 2012

INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION
Title: Personal Reflections: Museum of Me Grades: High School, Grades 10 & 11 Class Size: 20 students Length of Project: 5 Class Periods, 45 minutes each Lesson Topic & Description: Inspired by their recent trip to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, students will become the curators of their own museum. Students will create a space in the style of assemblage to display different aspects of themselves through the things they collect or would like to collect. While creating the assemblage, students will reflect on their identities, interests, backgrounds and culture to make a gallery or museum dedicated to who they are.

STAGE 1: DESIRED RESULTS

A. ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS: Artists reflect on their identities and personal histories when creating meaningful works of art. Assemblage is a technique that encompasses all kinds of objects that are both found and created. The process of assemblage is a journey (much like curating a museum) where the objects of the composition create a dialogue in the constructed space.

B. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: How do artists communicate messages about their identities through their artwork? What is an assemblage? How does an assemblage tell a story?

C. STATE STANDARDS ADDRESSED: Standard 2. Elements and Principles of Design. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the elements and principles of design. Standard 3. Observation, Abstraction, Invention, and Expression. Students will demonstrate their powers of observation, abstraction, invention, and expression in a variety of media, materials, and techniques. Standard 5. Critical Response. Students will describe and analyze their own work and the work of others using appropriate visual arts vocabulary. When appropriate, students will connect their analysis to interpretation and evaluation.

 D. LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

The students will examine works by multiple artists and cultures that use the technique of assemblage. The students will use at least five found and/or collected objects in their assemblages. The students will incorporate their knowledge about Isabella Stewart Gardner and her style of curating her own museum as discussed after their field trip. The students will experiment with and expand on their knowledge of adhering and attaching various objects and media. The students will be able to create a museum or gallery space with various new media. The students will be able to create a successful three-dimensional composition through the careful arrangement of their objects. The students will visually communicate personal dialogue and multiple aspects of their identity through their assemblages. Sample museum through my own selfreflective assemblage. View from top, 2012.

STAGE 2: ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE

A. PERFORMANCE TASK OR FINAL PRODUCT: The final product will be the students interpretation of his or her own gallery or museum, which informs the viewer about the artist who created it. A technically successful example will be a well-designed and stable structure which exhibits a collection through assemblage incorporating various media, including at least five found objects. The primary structure may be created out of different boxes or bottles to house the collection of the student. Both the inside and outside of the structure should be considered and addressed in the final design. The museum/gallery assemblage must be meaningful on the whole in that it reflects the students unique identity, interests, background, or culture through the display of the students collection. B. CONTINUUM OF ASSESSMENTS: Students will answer questions and turn in an activity sheet about assemblage. Students will participate in a class discussion about assemblage. Students will bring at least five collected/found objects to class for the project and their significance will be discussed with the teacher.

 Students will evaluate themselves as well as participate in a class critique upon completion of the project. Students will write a reflective response to the project and its significance.

C. CRITERIA: Did the student use at least three mediums, including one that he/she was unfamiliar with? Did the student incorporate at least five found objects in his/her collection? Did the student create a structurally sound piece? Did the student organize a successful three-dimensional compositiondoes it exhibit harmony and balance? Did the student (try to) use inspiration from other artists to creatively problemsolve in his or her museum/gallery space? Did the student use assemblage to create visual and conceptual depth? Did the student make a meaningful visual statement about himself/herself? Did the student complete the question sheet, self-evaluation and written statement as well as participate in class discussion and critique?

STAGE 3: LEARNING PLAN

A. MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT: Box or structure for alteration Found objects Assorted glues & adhesives Scissors Wire & wire cutters String Acrylic paint Paint brushes Water cups Watercolors Various types of paper Assorted fabrics Markers Cray-Pas

Betye Saar, The Liberation of Aunt Jemima, 1972. Assemblage.

B. VOCABULARY WITH DEFINITIONS: Assemblage A sculptural composition that includes found objects which then acquire new meaning in the piece. Collage A compositional technique which uses various media or pieces of other compositions (works of art, text, print media, fabrics) to create another composition that is stuck down to a two-dimensional surface.

5 Two-Dimensional When the picture plane is a flat surface with height and width (and no physical depth), as in a drawing. Three-Dimensional When something has physical depth in addition to height and width, as in a box. Mixed Media Using multiple kinds of materials or art media together.

C. VISUAL IMAGE RESOURCES:

Joseph Cornell, Untitled (Soap Bubble Set), c. 1936. Assemblage.

Joseph Cornell, Untitled (Cockatoo and Corks), c. 1948. Assemblage.

D. TEXT, MEDIA AND WEB RESOURCES Field visit and tour of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Video Clip SothebysTV. (2011, November 22). Hunters & Gatherers: The Art of Assemblage. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGtWs3WU_ZU Web Resources Doyle, P. (2012, February 2). The Look of History. Retrieved from: http://engl281.posterous.com/ Vivaldi, A. HSAC: High School of Applied Communications [website]. Retrieved from: www.andreyavivaldi.com/HSAC.html
Betye Saar, Black Girls Window, 1969. Assemblage.

 E. TEACHER INSTRUCTION:

Teacher will introduce the lesson after a trip to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum so that the students have a base knowledge of Mrs. Gardner and the way she collected, curated and exhibited her artworks. Teacher will recap what the class learned at the Museum and engage the class in discussion about the visit. Teacher will introduce the project: creating a piece of art in the form of assemblage that displays different aspects of the student by way of things that he/she collects or would like to collect. This piece will act as a single gallery or a whole museum dedicated to who the student is. Students will reflect on their identity, interests, background, and culture. Teacher will give out sheet of Questions to Consider while students watch an introductory video about assemblage with a follow-up discussion about the following questions: What is assemblage? What are the theorized origins (history) of assemblage? What is the difference between assemblage and collage? Where do the artists get the objects that they use in their compositions? Are all assemblages premeditated?

Teacher will introduce works by artists Joseph Cornell and Betye Saar, who primarily work in assemblage and pose the following questions for discussion: What do you see here? Where might the artist have gotten these objects? What kinds of media have been used? What might they mean? Would the pieces have the same meaning if the contents were displayed separately? Why or why not? What kind of meaning or dialogue is created as a result of the images and objects being displayed together in the form of assemblage?

Teacher will describe, in detail, the concept and requirements of the project. This includes materials to be used for the base structure and the multiple ways to approach the assemblage through found objects, collections (real or imagined), and the various media at the students disposal.

 Teacher will allow students one week to bring in a base structure to manipulate for the assemblage and to find and bring in at least five objects.

A cigar box can be used as an innovative base structure to house the assemblage museum.

Teacher will go over questions that the students may use to begin brainstorming ideas. Students should be able to answer all of these questions as they approach a final product.

Technical Questions How will you solve compositional problems in a three-dimensional space? Where will you find your objects? Is your artistic process premeditated? How do you know when your assemblage is finished? Personal Content What does your museum say about you? What inspires you to use the objects you choose? How do you choose your objects? What kind of dialogue do your found objects and/or materials create together? What thoughts or ideas would you like visitors to your museum to come away with? Teacher will check-in with each student after they have had half of a working day to ensure that they have the materials needed and that they are beginning to make meaning out of their objects and assemblages. The teacher will have the students write a self-reflective personal statement about their finished pieces. The teacher will lead a class critique where all the students will share their work and get feedback from their peers.

 The teacher will have the students reflect on the whole process and complete a written self-evaluation to be handed in to take note of growth during the year.

F. LEARNING ACTIVITY: Students will discuss their visit to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and what they learned. Students will watch an introductory video about assemblage and participate in verbal and written discussion via important questions regarding assemblage. Students will make observations and answer questions about the assemblages (and dialogues within the pieces) of Joseph Cornell and Betye Saar. Students will bring in at least five found objects and a structure that can be altered for the foundation of the assemblage museum. Students will brainstorm ways of displaying their identities, backgrounds or cultures using their own collected or found objects through composition and assemblage. Students will check-in with teacher about materials and subject matter/meaning during the first workday. Students will use at least three different media to complete the assemblage, including one that he/she is not familiar with. Students will create a unique structurally sound assemblage which makes a statement about the students identities. Students will write a response or personal statement about their pieces. Students will participate in a class critique. Students will reflect on the whole process and write a self-evaluation to make their thinking visible and to document individual growth.